The Wrap

In this episode TJ talks about the discontinuing, at least for now, of his weekly box office report article. But he’ll still keep talking about it on The Wrap. Also why hasn’t there been an episode of ‘The MovieByte Podcast’ this week? TJ explains. And then of course, he does discuss last weekend’s box office results. CBS says they’re not really interested in ‘Star Trek’ on TV right now. The ‘Fantastic Four’ reboot begins filming in March — TJ isn’t thrilled about this. A great video has in the "internets" about the ending of ‘Inception’. Check it out! Cookie Monster was in ‘The Hungry Games: Catching Fur’ which was pretty awesome! There’s a new worst idea ever: A sequel to ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’. Gag. This week in ByteSized Video Reviews, TJ stepped back a few weeks and reviewed ‘Gravity’. Samuel L. Jackson says Hamill and McGregor have not been contacted about ‘Star Wars VII’. Weird about Hamill. Die Hard is plunging ahead with a sixth film and one must ask hard questions, like why? The MPAA is weathering serious losses from piracy — but not in the way you think. They’re spending all their money on lobbying to stop piracy. Ironic. And of course, TJ walks you through what’s available to see this weekend.

• November 15-17, 2013 - Box Office Mojo
• CBS Not Interested in ‘Star Trek’ TV Series
• ‘Fantastic Four’ Begins Filming in March
• Decoding the end of ‘Inception’
• ‘The Hungry Games: Catching Fur’ — Best Parody Ever!
• New Worst Idea: ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Sequel
• ByteSized Video Reviews #3: Gravity
• Samuel L. Jackson: Hamill & McGregor Not Contacted For ‘Star Wars 7’
• Looks Like ‘Die Hard’ is going to… well, Die Hard…
• MPAA Losing Money by Fighting Piracy
• Don’t Catch a Cold, Catch Fire! - What to See This Weekend

TJ brings you news of the top box office spots. Of course ‘Thor: The Dark World’ dominated by a wide margin. And TJ really like the film so that’s a good thing as far as he’s concerned. There’s a ‘Hunger Games’ theme park coming. Yeah… talk about missing the point. Lionsgate seems determined in this folly though. Jeremy Renner is getting another Bourne film. TJ would like to be reminded of why anyone would want to do yet another Bourne film without, you know, Bourne. And back to ‘Thor’, TJ wrote a review of ‘Thor: The Dark World’, and released not one, but TWO podcasts about it this past week that you’ll want to check out. We got a trailer for Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie. Why? Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Noah’ got a trailer on Thursday. The Mario Bros. get a gritty realistic short film series that’s kind of weird and fun at the same time. And then, wow, there’s the ‘Super Smash Wars’ which just totally works! And of course, find out what to see this weekend.

• November 8-10, 2013 - Box Office Mojo
• Thor Drops The Hammer - #1 At The Box Office
• Missing the Point Entirely - A ‘Hunger Games’ Theme Park
• Next Bourne Film in 2015 With Jeremy Renner
• Thor: The Dark World - Review
• ByteSized Video Reviews #2: Thor: The Dark World
• ‘Maleficent’ Trailer Starring Angelina Jolie
• The MovieByte Podcast #68: Thor Score and Seven
• Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Noah’ First Trailers
• ‘The Four Players’ - A Gritty Take on the Mario Bros.
• Super Smash Wars
• When Life Robs You, Rob it Back - What To See This Weekend

‘Ender’s Game’ took the top spot at the box office this past week. But whether it can keep up or not in the face of competition from ‘Thor: The Dark World’ remains to be seen. ‘Agents of SHIELD’ is getting a crossover with the upcoming ‘Thor’ film a couple weeks after it comes out, which sounds like a load of fun. Bill Condon has some theories on why his film ‘The Fifth Estate’ didn’t do well. Joe Cornish is rumored to be the next director of the ‘Star Trek’ film franchise. TJ has never heard of him but would be glad of a fresh perspective on the series. ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ is tracking to open to a massive $185 Million. There’s a new 3-minute trailer for ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ that looks to be the best yet. TJ wrote his Ender’s Game review this past week. You should check that out. Jon Favreau is in talks to direct the upcoming film from Disney, ‘The Jungle Book.’ Why this film needed to be made is beyond TJ’s comprehension. Saoirse Ronan did not get the ‘Star Wars’ role she auditioned for, which is too bad, really. Blockbuster is calling it quits with it’s retail locations and plans to become a distributer only of movies. This seemed inevitable. ‘Star Wars VII’ has a release date, even though it has no title. The film is scheduled to open on December 18, 2015. And of course, find out what to see this weekend!

• Winner of the Game — Box Office Report
• ‘Agents of SHIELD’ - ‘Thor’ Crossover
• Bill Condon on ‘The Fifth Estate’ Disaster
• Joe Cornish Rumored Front Runner as Next ‘Star Trek’ Director
• Catching Fire on Track for Massive $185 Million Opening
• New 3-Minute Trailer for ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’
• Ender’s Game - Review
• Jon Favreau In Talks To Direct ‘The Jungle Book’
• Saoirse Ronan Did Not Get ‘Star Wars’ Role
• ‘Blockbuster Video’ Calls it Quits on Physical Stores
• ‘Star Wars VII’ Opens on December 18, 2015
• Put the Hammer Down! — What to See This Weekend

Join TJ to wrap up the week with a look back at the "Jacktastic" box office. TJ also wrote an ‘Escape Plan’ review because he enjoyed the film, so there. Then there’s the ‘Planes: Fire and Rescue’ Trailer — yes, this is a thing, apparently. ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ has been pushed to a January release date. This is probably not a good thing. We got the first ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ trailer and boy does it look epic. Plus, you know, it’s just good to have Bryan Singer back at the helm of an ‘X-men’ film. ‘Back to the Future’ got a pretty fun improv act that you should check out. ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ is getting a sequel. Are you ready for this? It’s called ‘London Has Fallen’. Look, we’re not making this up. If you see ‘Thor: The Dark World’ in 3D, you’ll get to see 5 minutes of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’. Seems like a sneaky way to sell 3D tickets to me. ‘Star Wars VII’ "Must" open in 2015 — because of reasons. And make sure you see ‘Ender’s Game’ this weekend!

• A Jacktastic Weekend - Box Office Report
• Escape Plan - Review
• ‘Planes: Fire and Rescue’ Trailer — Ugh
• ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ Moved to January Release
• ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ Trailer
• ‘Back to the Future’ Improv
• ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ Sequel ‘London Has Fallen’ is In the Works
• 5 Minutes of ‘Captain America 2’ Attached to *3D* ‘Thor 2’
• ‘Star Wars VII’ “Must” Open in 2015
• The Buggers Need Squashed! — What To See This Weekend

TJ wraps up the week with a look back at the box office report — crazy enough, ‘Gravity’ has been the number one film for 3 weeks in a row. Can it pull off a fourth? We’ll see. Robin Williams is in talks for Night at the Museum 3’. In other news, ‘Night at the Museum 3’ is happening? Cool. Paul Greengrass responded to crew members and critics of his film ‘Captain Phillips’ that it was a white-wash job on the good captain. And a fine response it was. TJ has some theories about why Agent Coulson is still alive and active in Marvel’s TV Show ‘Agents of SHIELD’. Ben Kingsley is set to return to Marvel for an undisclosed project of some kind, presumably revising his role from ‘Iron Man 3’. ‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes’ will begin production in 2014 — because apparently the production company behind it wants to commit suicide… Michael Arndt has departed ‘Star Wars VII’ as writer. TJ hopes this isn’t a bad sign. And of course, find out what’s new and what to see this weekend.

• Gravity’s Orbit Decays Very Little - Box Office Report
• Robin Williams in Talks for ‘Night at the Museum 3’
• Paul Greengrass responds to Claims of ‘Captain Phillips’
• Theories About Agent Coulson
• Ben Kingsley Returning to Marvel for Undisclosed Project
• ‘City of Ashes’ Starts Production in 2014 — Because of Reasons…
• Michael Arndt Departs ‘Star Wars VII’
• For those seeking counsel: What To See This Weekend

This week, ‘Gravity’ continues it’s high earth orbit in its second week while ‘Captain Phillips’ in its first week takes the number 2 spot. Both really good films, but ‘Gravity’ is, in TJ’s opinion, the somewhat better film. ‘House of Cards’ will probably not go past season 2. This is both good news and bad news. Good, because many shows overstay their welcome. Bad because it feels like the show could do much more than 2 seasons. ‘Hans Zimmer’ is hesitating on scorning ‘Man of Steel 2’ because of the Batman element. Probably not surprising. Two working titles have been revealed for ‘Star Wars VII’! And there was exceeding much joy amongst the nerds! Alamo Drafthouse has banned Madonna from watching any more movies at any Drafthouse establishments until she appologizes for texting during a film and causing a scene when asked to stop. TJ approves. Crew members say ‘Captain Phillips’ is a big lie. Seems like kind of a bummer if true. Marvel is developing more TV Series. The interesting thing here is that they’re looking at a VOD strategy involving Netflix and and other On Demand distributors. Of this TJ also approves most highly. It may not be the original films you wanted, but Pixar is developing another film, and it’s ‘Cars 3’. As long as it’s a good film, it will be fine. But another ‘Cars 2’ and TJ won’t be too happy. Michael Bay was assaulted on the set of ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’. Of course TJ would like to punch Bay too for making such wretched films but he has yet to act on that impulse… And don’t forget to check out what to see this weekend!

• ‘Gravity’ Continues High Earth Orbit - Box Office Report
• ‘House of Cards’ Season 2 Probably the Last
• Zimmer on Scoring ‘Man of Steel 2’
• Two Working Titles for ‘Star Wars VII’
• Alamo Drafthouse Bans Madonna
• Crew Members Say ‘Captain Phillips’ Is A Big Lie
• Marvel Developing More TV Series
• ‘Cars 3’ Is In the Works
• Michael Bay Assaulted On ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ Set
• A Carried Away Escape Plan - What To See

This week TJ discusses the top box office films, of which ‘Gravity’ was at the forefront. And it’s such an awesome film! You really should go see it. Of course for a complete, polar opposite, ‘Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2’ took second place. Who knows what that means for the state of filmmaking. ‘Agents of SHIELD’ made even bigger gains in time shifted viewing this week. Not a big surprise and TJ has continues to hold that the writing is on the wall for the old ways of distributing and thinking about media. ‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy has cost over $561 Million to date. Talk about bloated. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Buzz Aldrin weighed in on ‘Gravity’. One of those guys has actually even been to space! Speaking of ‘Gravity’, TJ wrote a glowing review of the film for you to check out. ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ will feature much less shaky cam but much more love triangle non-sense. Ugh. Speaking of "Ugh", NBC is working on a ‘Remington Steele’ reboot. Yeah, "ugh" indeed. And, TJ wrote an article on why you should give ‘Agents of SHIELD’ a chance. Be sure to check that out. Of course, find out what to see this weekend!

• Gravity Does Not Seem To Be Affected By ‘Gravity’ — Box Office Report
• ‘Agents of SHIELD’ Bigger Gains in Time Shifted Viewing
• ‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy Has Cost $561 Million To Date
• Neil deGrasse Tyson and Buzz Aldrin “Weigh” In On ‘Gravity’
• Gravity - Review
• ‘Catching Fire’ — Less Shaky Cam More Love Triangle
• NBC Plans a ‘Remington Steele’ Sequel (gag)
• The Agents of SHIELD
• The Captain Phillips Estate… What To See This Weekend

It’s a new edition of The Wrap! Find out why it’s been raining meatballs this week with the box office report! Hear about ‘Agents of SHIELD’ doing well in time shifted viewing, which doesn’t surprise TJ. A video has been making the rounds on 4 rules J.J. Abrams should follow to make ‘Star Wars’ great again, and TJ wholeheartedly agrees with every single rule in this video! It’s highly recommended watching, check it out! Speaking of J.J., he has admitted he has a slight lens flare addiction and should seek help. TJ concurs. The new trailer for ‘The Desolation of Smaug’ features Benedict Cumberbatch’s voice and you should definitely give this one a looky and listen! ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair’ will be coming to film very soon. Given the lacklast attempts at films they’ve made with the last two, this doesn’t strike TJ as good news. Legendary author Tom Clancy has passed away, which is very sad.l James McAvoy says that ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ will be the most epic yet. And make sure you find out what to see this weekend!

• It Be Raining Meatballs! — Box Office Report
• ‘Agents of SHIELD’ Gains Big in Time Shifted Viewing
• 4 Rules to Make ‘Star Wars’ Great Again
• Admitting the Lens Flare Problem is the First Step to Recovery
• Video of JJ Abrams Apologizing for Lens Flare
• ‘The Desolation of Smaug’ Featuring Benedict Cumberbatch’s Voice!
• ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair’
• Legendary Author Tom Clancy Passes Away at 66
• James McAvoy Says ‘Days of Future Past’ is ‘Most Epic X-Men’
• The Gravity of the Situation: What To See This Weekend`

This week, ‘Prisoners’ takes the top box office spot, and deservedly so. TJ really enjoyed the film. In other news, as it turns out, WikiLeaks is not a fan of the upcoming film about Julian Assange. And, in a move that surprised no one, they leaked the script. Peter Mayhew would like to continue playing the role of Chewbacca. He’s recovering from surgery and doctors say he should be up for playing the role again soon. ‘Atlas Shrugged Part 3’ is taking the popular Kickstarter campaign route. But the franchise is leaving TJ shrugging because really, who cares? Superman killing in ‘Man of Steel’ is still causing outrage in some parts of the nerd-verse. But despite TJ’s many numerous complaints with ‘Man of Steel’, that was not one of them. Entertainment Geekly is taking the pulse of the Trek-o-sphere, and it’s not looking good for ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’. The fan outrage really has TJ kind of upset. Of course, TJ has to also talk a little about the premiere of ‘Agents of SHIELD’, which was awesome! And Joss Whedon says he wants to create new content again. This seems like a good thing. And of course, find out what to see this weekend!

• ‘Prisoners’ Breaks the Box Office Chains
• WikiLeaks not a fan of ‘The Fifth Estate’
• Peter Mayhew Intends to Play Chewbacca Again
• ‘Atlas Shrugged Part 3’ Kickstarter
• ‘Superman’ Kills
• Entertainment Geekly on ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’
• Agents of SHIELD
• Joss Whedon Wants To Create New Content Again
• Rush to claim your Baggage! What to see this weekend

TJ recaps what he feels are the newsworthy items from the past week. The highlights include, ‘Insidious Chapter 2’? Yes, it was number 1 at the box office this past weekend. And Disney’s CFO wants to dump more money into more franchise films and less money into original films. That’s just sad. Justin Bieber seems to think maybe he’ll be in ‘Man of Steel’ as Robin. That moaning you just heard was probably from TJ. ‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ is projected to reach $950 Million worldwide. TJ is not sure where they come up with these numbers at, but the film should be good, so that sounds like a good thing. Darren over at Gateworld thinks that Rolland Emmerich can save ‘Stargate’. TJ would rather not see ‘Stargate’ saved if that’s what it takes. Gwyneth Paltrow says she probably won’t be in ‘Avengers 2’. Oh well, there are worse things TJ supposes. Joss Whedon did rewrites for ‘Thor: The Dark World’, which is unsurprising and probably a very good thing. And J.K. Rowling has final say over the script for the upcoming ‘Harry Potter’ Spinnoff. That also seems like a good thing. And of course, don’t miss what films are our in theaters that you might like to see.

• Insidious? — Box Office Report for September 16
• Disney CFO Wants To Spend Less On Original Films
• Justin Bieber to be in ‘Man of Steel’? PLEASE NO!
• ‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Predicted to Reach $950 Million
• Can a Movie Reboot Save Stargate?
• Gwyneth Paltrow Says She’s Probably Not In ‘Avengers 2’
• Joss Whedon Did Rewrites for ‘Thor: The Dark World’
• Rowling has Final Say over the Potter Spinnoff Script
• What To See This Weekend